Summer Reading Program: Notable Children's Books

Source:  ALA American Library Association  (http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/notalists/ncb) 

 

Each year a committee of the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) identifies the best of the best in children's books. According to the Notables Criteria, "notable" is defined as: Worthy of note or notice, important, distinguished, outstanding. As applied to children's books, notable should be thought to include books of especially commendable quality, books that exhibit venturesome creativity, and books of fiction, information, poetry and pictures for all age levels (birth through age 14) that reflect and encourage children's interests in exemplary ways.

According to ALSC policy, the current year's Newbery, Caldecott,  Belpré, Sibert, Geisel, and Batchelder Award and Honor books automatically are added to the Notable Children's Books list.

According to the ALSC Notable Children’s Books Committee manual, these categories loosely represent the following:  Younger Readers – Preschool-grade 2 (age 7), including easy-to-read books; Middle Readers – Grades 3-5, ages 8-10; Older Readers – Grades 6-8, ages 11-14; All Ages – Has appeal and interest for children in all of the above age ranges

YOUNGER

All-of-a-Kind Family Hanukkah. By Emily Jenkins. Illus. by Paul O. Zelinsky. Random/Schwartz & Wade.
Four-year-old Gertie wants to help her older sisters make the Hanukkah latkes, but she’s just too little. 

Alma and How She Got Her Name. By Juana Martinez-Neal. Illus. by the author. Candlewick. 
Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela thinks her name is too long, so her father tells her the story of where it came from. (Caldecott Honor Book)

Baby Monkey, Private Eye. By Brian Selznick and David Serlin. Illus. by Brian Selznick. Scholastic. 
Baby Monkey solves a variety of puzzling mysteries in an ingenious early chapter book for preschoolers and emerging independent readers.

A Big Mooncake for Little Star. By Grace Lin. Illus. by the author. Little, Brown. 
Mama bakes a big mooncake, but Little Star can’t wait for it to cool and starts to nibble it away. (Caldecott Honor Book)

Black Bird Yellow Sun. By Steve Light. Illus. by the author. Candlewick.
Follow Black Bird through the day in this stunning board book.

Blue. By Laura Vaccaro Seeger. Illus. by the author. Roaring Brook/Neal Porter.
A boy and his dog grow older together in this spare and moving paean to love and attachment.

Bowwow Powwow / Bagosenjige-niimi'idim. By Brenda J. Child. Illus. by Jonathan Thunder. Tr. by Gordon Jourdain. Minnesota Historical Society.
On her way to a powwow, Windy hears stories about powwows past and weaves these tales into a dream.

The Day You Begin. By Jacqueline Woodson. Illus. by Rafael López. Penguin/Nancy Paulsen. 
One little girl joins a new class and finds her place as classmates share their unique backgrounds.

Don't Touch My Hair! By Sharee Miller. Illus. by the author. Little, Brown. 
A spunky heroine uses humor to invite readers to understand boundaries and consent.

Drawn Together. By Minh Lê. Illus. by Dan Santat. Disney/Hyperion. 
A boy and his grandfather bridge their cultural and generational divide through their shared love of art.

Dreamers. By Yuyi Morales. Illus. by the author. Holiday/Neal Porter.
Morales and her young son discover how they fit into their strange new country when they find the public library in this gorgeous, personal picture book. (Pura Belpré Illustrator Award Book)

The Fox on the Swing. By Evelina Daciūtė. Illus. by Aušra Kiudulaitė. Tr. by the Translation Bureau. Thames & Hudson.
A fox invites Paul, a little boy, to deeply contemplate his feelings in this picture book originally published in Lithuania. (Batchelder Award Book)

Fox the Tiger. By Corey R. Tabor. Illus. by the author. HarperCollins/Balzer+Bray.
Playful Fox loves tigers so much he turns into one (with the help of some paint) in this comical early reader. (Geisel Award Book)

Good Rosie! By Kate DiCamillo. Illus. by Harry Bliss. Candlewick. 
Shy pup Rosie’s adventures at the dog park include funny, sweet, and relatable interactions with enormous Maurice and delicate Fifi.

Hello Lighthouse. By Sophie Blackall. Illus. by the author. Little, Brown.
A lighthouse keeper and his new wife raise their family and survive the hardships and joys of life offshore in this lovely, idyllic picture book. (Caldecott Medal Book)

How Raven Got His Crooked Nose: An Alaskan Dena' ina Fable. By Barbara J. Atwater and Ethan J. Atwater. Illus. by Mindy Dwyer. Alaska Northwest. 
Grandmother imparts the importance of patience as she retells the fable of trickster Raven and his missing nose.

I Walk with Vanessa: A Story about a Simple Act of Kindness. By Kerascoët. Illus. by the authors. Random/Schwartz & Wade. 
One girl’s upstanding action inspires her schoolmates to join and support a bullied child in this wordless, important story.

Imagine! By Raúl Colón. Illus. by the author. Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman.  
A boy’s imagination comes alive during his visit to the Museum of Modern Art in this wordless tribute to the power of art.

In the Past: From Trilobites to Dinosaurs to Mammoths in More than 500 Million Years. By David Elliott. Illus. by Matthew Trueman. Candlewick. 
Short, pithy poems and dynamic illustrations take the reader through 500 million years of life on earth.

Islandborn. By Junot Díaz. Illus. by Leo Espinosa. Dial. 
Given a school assignment to draw a picture of her homeland, Lola gathers stories of “the Island” from people in her Dominican neighborhood. (Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor Book)

Jerome By Heart. By Thomas Scotto. Illus. by Olivier Tallec. Tr. by Claudia Zoe Bedrick and Karin Snelson. Enchanted Lion. 
Raphael loves Jerome and, in spite of the response from his parents, he is not afraid to say that he knows his best friend by heart. (Batchelder Honor Book)

Julián Is a Mermaid. By Jessica Love. Illus. by the author. Candlewick.
Julián’s chance encounter with three mermaids on a subway inspires him to create his own mermaid costume and reveal his inner self to his understanding abuela.

King and Kayla and the Case of the Lost Tooth. By Dori Hillestad Butler. Illus. by Nancy Meyers. Peachtree.
When Kayla’s tooth goes missing from the tooth fairy pillow, she and her dog, King, investigate the mystery. (Geisel Honor Book)

Lena's Shoes Are Nervous: A First-Day-of-School Dilemma. By Keith Calabrese. Illus. by Juana Medina. Simon & Schuster/Atheneum. 
Facing kindergarten, Lena must convince her shoes not to be nervous in this fresh look at a familiar experience.

Let the Children March. By Monica Clark-Robinson. Illus. by Frank Morrison. HMH.
A young participant in the children’s crusade shows the world—and young readers—how to stand up for one’s beliefs and make change.

Mommy’s Khimar. By Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow. Illus. by Ebony Glenn. Simon & Schuster/Salaam Reads. 
A young Muslim girl loves her mom's khimars and uses all her senses to describe their beauty.

My Beijing: Four Stories of Everyday Wonder. By Nie Jun. Illus. by the author. Tr. by Edward Gauvin. Lerner/Graphic Universe.
Yu’er and her grandfather are amiable guides to their Beijing neighborhood, and Jun’s lush watercolor artwork gives this graphic novel even more charm. (Batchelder Honor Book)

Night Job. By Karen Hesse. Illus. by G. Brian Karas. Candlewick. 
A boy spends the night cleaning the school with his father. This is a tender and joyful look at work and time spent together.

A Parade of Elephants. By Kevin Henkes. Illus. by the author. Greenwillow.
Five elephants march in a line, up and down, under and over, and round and round, introducing simple concepts to very young children in this perfectly delightful confection.

The Party and Other Stories. By Sergio Ruzzier. Illus. by the author. Chronicle.
Fox and Chick manage to be good friends despite their differences in this uncluttered, laugh-out-loud early reader. (Geisel Honor Book)

The Patchwork Bike. By Maxine Beneba Clarke. Illus. by Van Thanh Rudd. Candlewick. 
Against a backdrop of dynamic, action-filled paintings, a young girl describes, with tremendous pride, the bike that her brothers made from scrap material and the adventures they have.

The Rough Patch. By Brian Lies. Illus. by the author. Greenwillow.
The state of Fox’s garden mirrors his grieving process as he mourns his best friend. (Caldecott Honor Book)

Saturday Is Swimming Day. By Hyewon Yum. Illus. by the author. Candlewick. 
Yum delicately explores the fear and triumph a little girl feels when facing her Saturday swimming lessons.

See Pip Flap. By David Milgrim. Illus. by the author. Simon & Schuster/Simon Spotlight.
On pages with spare language and bold, cheerful artwork, Otto the robot tries to help Pip the mouse learn to fly. (Geisel Honor Book)

Thank You, Omu! By Oge Mora. Illus. by the author. Little, Brown. 
When Omu makes a delicious-smelling dinner, neighbors stop by to sample soup until the pot is empty. (Caldecott Honor Book)

The Wall in the Middle of the Book. By Jon Agee. Illus. by the author. Dial. 
A small knight assures the reader that the wall in the center of the book protects his side from the dangerous other side, but the pictures tell a different story.

You and Me. By Rebecca Kai Dotlich. Illus. by Susan Reagan. Creative Editions. 
An older sibling brags about their own independence because the new baby has grabbed all Grandma’s attention in this warm, realistic board book.

MIDDLE 

Ana María Reyes Does NOT Live in a Castle. By Hilda Eunice Burgos. Lee & Low/Tu.
Ana María Reyes tries to win a scholarship to a prestigious New York academy, only to find herself facing obstacles. In the process, she discovers herself and the importance of family.

All that Trash: The Story of the 1987 Garbage Barge and Our Problem with Stuff. By Meghan McCarthy. Illus. by the author. Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman.
In 1987, a garbage barge spends five months adrift in the Atlantic, unsuccessfully attempting  to find a place to dump its contents.

Aru Shah and the End of Time. By Roshani Chokshi. Disney/Hyperion.
In this story inspired by the ancient Indian epic, the Mahabharata, Aru Shah discovers she must enter the Kingdom of Death to save the world. 

The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge. By M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin. Illus. by Eugene Yelchin. Candlewick.  
A diplomatic meeting of the Elves and the Goblins is more treacherous than expected in this brilliantly illustrated novel.

Beavers. By Rachel Poliquin. Illus. by Nicholas John Frith. HMH. 
Wit and fact intertwine in an enjoyable guide to the frequently overlooked beaver.

Between the Lines: How Ernie Barnes Went from the Football Field to the Art Gallery. By Sandra Neil Wallace. Illus. by Bryan Collier. Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman. 
Growing up, Ernie Barnes had two passions: art and football.  Detailed, lively paintings help reveal how, with years of practice, he excelled in both fields.

The Book of Boy. By Catherine Gilbert Murdock. Greenwillow.
In 1350, Boy, an orphaned servant, is hired to accompany a pilgrim seeking the seven relics of St. Peter. (Newbery Honor Book)

The Brilliant Deep: Rebuilding the World’s Coral Reefs. By Kate Messner. Illus. by Matthew Forsythe. Chronicle. 
Ken Nedimyer's single-minded passion for restoring the ocean’s coral reefs is reflected through riveting illustrations and accessible narrative.

Camp Panda: Helping Cubs Return to the Wild. By Catherine Thimmesh. HMH.
What does a panda suit have to do with species conservation? As this comprehensive book about a panda rehabilitation program in China reveals, quite a lot. (Sibert Honor Book)

Can I Touch Your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship. By Irene Latham and Charles Waters. Illus. by Sean Qualls and Selina Alko. Carolrhoda. 
A school writing assignment is the catalyst for conversations around race, class, and privilege in this illustrated poetic conversation between two fifth-graders who learn to honor each other’s differences.

Dragons in a Bag. By Zetta Elliott. Illus. by Geneva B. Random.
When nine-year-old Jaxon is left in the care of an eccentric old witch, he begins training as her new apprentice by leaving Brooklyn to return three dragons to a magical world.

Edison: The Mystery of the Missing Mouse Treasure. By Torben Kuhlmann. Illus. by the author. Tr. by David Henry Wilson. NorthSouth.
Naturalistic illustrations enhance this story of an intrepid mouse, who builds a submersible and makes a surprising deep-sea discovery. (Batchelder Honor Book)

The Eye that Never Sleeps: How Detective Pinkerton Saved President Lincoln. By Marissa Moss. Illus. by Jeremy Holmes. Abrams. 
Modern illustrations and lively text combine to relate the early history of the Pinkerton Detective Agency and how they thwarted an attempt to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln.

Finding Langston. By Lesa Cline-Ransome. Holiday. 
After his mother’s death, lonely Langston and his emotionally distant father migrate from rural Alabama to Chicago, where he finds solace in the poetry of his namesake.

Front Desk. By Kelly Yang. Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine.  
Mia not only helps manage the front desk of the motel where her immigrant Chinese parents work; she also helps keep secrets about the guests, whose immigration status puts everyone at risk.

Game Changers: The Story of Venus and Serena Williams. By Lesa Cline-Ransome. Illus. by James Ransome. Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman. 
This engaging picture-book biography of tennis' greatest superstars focuses attention on the ways they changed the game by their attitude, power as athletes, personal strength, and relationship with each other.

Hammering for Freedom. By Rita Lorraine Hubbard. Illus. by John Holyfield. Lee & Low. 
In informative paragraphs and expressive paintings, this picture book tells the story of an enslaved blacksmith who steadfastly worked to buy freedom for himself and his family. 

Knights vs. Dinosaurs. By Matt Phelan. Illus. by the author. Greenwillow.  
Merlin sets a new challenge for the Knights of the Round Table when he sends them back in time to battle dinosaurs.

Louisiana’s Way Home. By Kate DiCamillo. Candlewick.  
Louisiana finds her own inner strength when her granny abandons her in a run-down motel while they attempt to lift a curse that has plagued their family for generations. 

Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish. By Pablo Cartaya. Viking. 
After Marcus is suspended from school for fighting, his frustrated mother takes him and his brother to Puerto Rico for a week to reconnect with family he didn’t know existed.

Martin Rising: Requiem for a King. By Andrea Davis Pinkney. Illus. by Brian Pinkney. Scholastic. 
Dr. King’s final months of life and the emotional aftermath of his assassination are recounted in this collection of poignant poetry.

Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop: The Sanitation Strike of 1968. By Alice Faye Duncan. Illus. by R. Gregory Christie. Boyds Mills/Calkins Creek.  
Nine-year-old Lorraine, whose daddy is a sanitation worker, recounts the two-month sanitation strike led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Merci Suárez Changes Gears. By Meg Medina. Candlewick. 
Eleven-year-old Cuban American Merci Suárez balances the demands of her multi-generational family with the challenges of being a scholarship student at a private school in Florida. (Newbery Medal Book)

No Small Potatoes: Junius G. Groves and His Kingdom in Kansas. By Tonya Bolden. Illus. by Don Tate. Knopf. 
Junius G. Groves went from being enslaved in Kentucky to owning 500 acres in Kansas and making his fortune by growing potatoes.

Pass Go and Collect $200: The Real Story of How Monopoly Was Invented. By Tanya Lee Stone. Illus. by Steven Salerno. Holt/Christy Ottaviano. 
This picture-book history offers a spirited account of the evolution of the popular board game and the people who were involved over the years in its creation.

Otis and Will Discover the Deep: The Record-Setting Dive of the Bathysphere. By Barb Rosenstock. Illus. by Katherine Roy. Little, Brown. 
Daring aquanauts Otis Barton and Will Beebe designed and dove in a leaky bathysphere that allowed them to explore 800 feet below the ocean surface.

The Parker Inheritance. By Varian Johnson. Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine. 
Issues of race, bullying, and identity are interwoven in this buried-treasure mystery that spans multiple decades as tween Candice unravels a series of puzzles in her community.

Saving Winslow. By Sharon Creech. HarperCollins/Joanna Cotler.
Through vignettes of sparse text, this story follows 10-year-old Louie as he takes on the challenge of saving a fragile, newborn mini-donkey that has been rejected by its mother.  

The Season of Styx Malone. By Kekla Magoon. Random/Wendy Lamb.   
Despite their father’s attempts to keep them safe in small town Indiana, brothers Caleb and Bobby Gene go on a wild adventure with new neighbor Styx Malone as they attempt the fabled “Escalator Trade.”

So Tall Within: Sojourner Truth's Long Walk toward Freedom. By Gary D. Schmidt. Illus. by Daniel Minter. Roaring Brook. 
This poetic and haunting picture-book biography reflects the larger-than-life experiences of abolitionist Sojourner Truth.

Stella Díaz Has Something to Say. By Angela Dominguez. Roaring Brook. 
In this timely book about immigration, citizenship, and identity, third-grader Stella grapples with a fear of public speaking, a complicated family dynamic, and her place between cultures. 

Tiger vs. Nightmare. By Emily Tetri. Illus. by the author. First Second. 
Tiger relies on her friend, Monster, to keep her nightmares at bay each night, until one nightmare slips through,  causing Tiger has to rethink the arrangement. (Geisel Honor Book)

Thirty Minutes over Oregon: A Japanese Pilot's World War II Story. By Marc Tyler Nobleman. Illus. by Melissa Iwai. Clarion. 
This is the little-known story of a Japanese WWII  pilot who unsuccessfully attempted to bomb the Oregon coast, and years later reconciled with Oregonians he had targeted.

The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle. By Leslie Connor. HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen. 
In this poignant and powerful mystery, Mason, a seventh-grade boy who can barely read and write, finds a way to finally tell the truth about what happened the day his best friend died.

The United States v. Jackie Robinson. By Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen. Illus. by R. Gregory Christie. HarperCollins/Balzer+Bray. 
Although he is well known for breaking the color barrier in baseball, Jackie Robinson went to court years earlier to integrate troops while serving in the U.S. Army.

What Do You Do with a Voice Like That? The Story of Extraordinary Congresswoman Barbara Jordan. By Chris Barton. Illus. by Ekua Holmes. Simon & Schuster/Beach Lane. 
Stirring words and vibrant collage illustrations showcase the commanding voice of congresswoman Barbara Jordan, who shaped the political arena and created a powerful legacy.

When Angels Sing: The Story of Rock Legend Carlos Santana. By Michael Mahin. Illus. by Jose Ramirez. Atheneum.
Bold, folk art–style illustrations and exhilarating language come together to convey the life of groundbreaking musician Carlos Santana. (Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor Book & Sibert Honor Book)